Back to the Past
by Eritole
Summary: Agents Iris Lysel and Andrea/Andreas Michaels are the top assassins in The Foundation. Raised to be killers, a life they had never asked for. On the run from their past lives at The Foundation they somehow end up transported back into the Arthurian times. What will this new adventure bring them.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

Mickey and Lys were on the run from _The Foundation_. It had been months since they decided that enough was enough and they didn't want to do _The Foundation's_ dirty work anymore. Currently they were camped out in a forest thousands of miles away from the place they used to call home. They had just finished packing up their camp for the day when a twig snapping in the distance startled them. Mickey looked over to Lys and put a finger up to her full lips, gesturing for her to be quiet and listen. Lys gave a curt nod and closed her eyes listening for any more sounds. Her eyes snapped open when she heard footsteps.

"Still no sight of them, boss." The rough voice sounded from merely paces away followed by the crackle of radio static. The girls turned to each other with wide eyes; _The Foundation_ was still after them. Lys gestured her head in the opposite direction of the voices and Mickey got the gist. Keep quiet and let's get the fuck outta here without being noticed. They managed before Mickey tripped over a stray log. Both girls cursed silently to themselves and mouthed 'run' at each other before they took off. They ditched their camping stuff and took just their bags that held their essentials. The sounds of yelling and heavy steps chased after them through the woods. The men pursuing them wouldn't relent and the girls were getting tired when they noticed a fork in the path. One led upwards and the other dipped below into a small ravine. They had enough on a lead to travel up the first path before carefully doubling back and dashing into the ravine.

As soon as they passed through the scenery changed. The voices of the men and their heavy steps completely disappeared as well. Mickey and Lys turned around and even the ravine had seemed to change. It was as if they had entered an entirely new forest possibly time. Not wanting to risk it the girls continued on, this time at a slower pace, taking in the new scenery. This new forest was extremely peaceful, the thing they had been wanting most for over a year now. Lys was about to break the silence but an arrow flew past her face and lodged into the tree next to her head.

"What the fuck." Mickey's eyes widened.

"Run!" She yelled. The girls didn't get very far when they got cut off by three men on horses. They went to turn around but they were surrounded by six people total. Six of the men were wearing chainmail with red capes and a gold insignia. They had swords attached at their hips and the blonde one was holding a crossbow. The last man was next to him on a brown horse dressed in odd clothing, his shirt was an old style in red with a tattered blue scarf or bandana and a brown jacket to top it all off. The blonde one with the crossbow spoke up.

"Who are you." His voice demanded causing Mickey to tense up next to Lys. She never liked being talked to in that tone of voice. While Mickey had a stare down with that man Lys took the time to observe the other men. The one closest to the demanding blonde had curly sandy blond hair that fell just below his ears, he had a stern face, and seemed to be close to the blond, potentially a second in command she concluded. She did a quick glimpse around noticing all the men had stern or emotionless faces on from the girls hostile stances. There was another blondish man; his hair was shorter than the rest of the group so it was hard to tell what color it was. His main discernable feature was his chainmail didn't cover his arms like the rest, but damn was he ripped. Lys knew that he would be formidable if they tried to fight their way out; she just hoped Mickey would keep her temper under control. The next man had dark skin and short brown or black, he seemed to be the smallest out of the group in chainmail. The only word to describe what they were that Lys could come up with was knights. The last two knights gave her a slightly different vibe. The one with the shorter dark brown hair had a straight face but you could see there was a slight concern in his eyes. He gave off a very kind and noble vibe. They could use that to their advantage if needed. Last but not least was the knight with wavy dark brown hair that fell above his shoulders who had a smirk on his face. Lys did not like that in the slightest. Before she could evaluate the group more Mickey opened her big mouth.

"Who the fuck wants to know." Her glare was still directed at the pompous blond sat atop his white stallion. The man did not react well to that; Lys noticed a vein in his head begin to bulge. Lys' mind reeled on where she had seen the caps before, still not connecting the dots.

"Do you not know who I am, or do you have a death wish?'

Mickey's signature smirk donned her face, "Clearly I have no clue who you are." Lys elbowed her in warning to tone her sass down. Mickey just elbowed her back.

The man with curly hair led his steed forward and pointed his sword at Mickey's neck.

"Learn to show some respect when talking to a king." As he said the word king a bunch of history lessons flooded Lys' mind. In a click she knew who they were talking to.

"My name is Arthur Pendragon, Kind of Camelot." Mickey snorted in disbelief. Lys' hand slapped over Mickey's mouth not letting her retort.

"My apologies your highness, we are not from these lands so we did not know who you are. My companion and I meant you and your knights no disrespect." Lys dipped into a slight bow and slapped Mickey in the back of the head.

"What are you doing?" Mickey hissed.

"Trying not to get ourselves killed, dumbass." Lys glared back.

"You're telling me you believe this bullshit?" She asked in disbelief. Lys shook her head.

"I'm trying to wrap my head around all of this, but I'm being the reasonable one trying to survive. We are outnumbered seven to two; I really don't like those odds. So if we can get off scot free right now that would be great." Mickey just scoffed.

"Lys, we have been in worse situations."

"Yeah, but they have horses and we don't, please just behave for once in your god damn life." Lys hoped her words would get through Mickey's thick skull.

"Rise." Arthur's voice snapped the girls out of their bowed and whispered conversation. The men dismounted their horses and circled the girls taking in their funny appearances. Mickey had long blonde hair that fell in loose waves down her back, the front was held up by a black bandana. Her dark blue eyes held stormy defiance in them as she stared them down back. The thing that seemed to puzzle the men the most were the clothes the girls were wearing. Both Mickey and Lys were wearing tight black pants, each had a brown leather knife case strapped to opposite legs. Mickey had hers on the left as she was left handed and Lys had hers strapped to the right respectively for the same reason as Mickey. Lys had short wild wavy brown hair that just reached her shoulders, the ends and underside lightened from a time she disobeyed _The Foundation_ and died her hair a bright pink just to piss them off. Her eyes were grey like a stormy sky on the ocean; just like her friends they held defiance. Both girls were wearing dark grey tops, but Mickey was wearing a sweater and Lys had a tank top on with a black jacket tied around her waist. The clothes were clearing nothing the men were used to seeing. The smaller knight with dark skin had his blade lightly pressed against Mickey's back as King Arthur glanced at her form curiously.

"I would appreciate it if your lackey wouldn't have his sword pressed into my back." She seethed. Lys let out a gentle sigh, Mickey's temper always caused them to get into trouble. The knight pressed his blade into her back more.

Arthurs face held a look of confusion, "Lackey?"

"Oh fuck this." Mickey exclaimed taking a small step forward, quickly drawing her blade from its place on her leg, spinning around and smacking the hilt of it into the knights' wrist effectively causing him to drop his sword with a small noise of pain.

"Elyan!" Called the big sleeveless knight. He drew his own blade approaching Mickey quickly. Doing the same thing she did Lys disarmed the bigger knight. The girls stood back to back, knives drawn to protect each other.

"Put your weapons down!" Arthur tried to command the girls causing them to laugh.

"Seeing as you attacked us first, no way." Mickey smirked knowing Lys always had her back. The knight with wavy brown hair and scruff stepped forward, sword pointed at them.

"I would hate to have to hurt such pretty ladies, listen to the king and put your weapons down." The girls rolled their eyes.

Lys smirked and couldn't resist, "Eat shit", she hated guys like him.

This caused Mickey to laugh.

"And you say I need to watch my mouth and temper."

"Fuck this, read for operation Etherion?" Lys asked Mickey.

"Hell yeah." Operation Etherion was their code for eliminate and escape. The two lunged out at the nearest knights disarming them in synchronization. They clashed a bit with the other knights before they found their opening and made a dash to escape. They made it a few steps before a tree root darted out and tripped them causing them to fall flat on their faces. Seconds later both girls were pinned under a knight. Mickey was incapacitated by the knight without the sleeves and Lys had the misfortune to be stuck with the womanizer.

"You know I don't really mind this position." Lys could hear the smirk and wink in his words, she scoffed in disgust. Mickey kept struggling under the built knight.

"Curse you and your muscles. Get off of me you oaf." Her words were silenced by a blow to the head effectively knocking her out. Silent curses filled Lys mind, this clearly was not going as planned.

"Sorry sweetheart, but it's your turn to go to sleep. I'll see you in your dreams." He chuckled. As soon as his grip loosened Lys bucked managing to throw the infuriating knight off and roll away. Picking up her knife as well as Mickey's she sheathed them in the case on her leg, putting her hands up in defeat with a sigh.

"Alright, you got my friend, I'll go with you willing just don't concuss me."

"Well glad we could come to a conclusion. Put your hands out in front of you so Gwaine can tie you up. Percival feel free to throw the other one on your horse, Merlin clearly wouldn't be able to handle her weight." Arthur's cocky voice was really starting to irritate her. Gwaine tied her hands tight in front of her body so she couldn't move them. He tugged her over to his horse.

"Now m'lady are you going to behave enough to ride like a normal person or do you want to ride like your friend over there." He gestured to where Mickey was thrown over the saddle in front of Percival like a sack of potatoes.

Sighing she gave a weak reply, "I'd prefer to ride normally." He smirked.

Patting her head, "Good girl, that's more like it." She snarled at him.

The ride back to Camelot was rather uneventful other than the fact that Lys was riding with the blabbermouth known as Gwaine. When they finally arrived Lys' patience was barely held onto by a thread.

"Take the prisoners to the cells. One week, only a meal a day, and maybe by the end they will be ready to show me respect and tell me the truth." Lys scoffed at his words; it wasn't like they had lied to him, just disrespected him and tried to run away. Percival threw the unconscious Mickey over his shoulders as if she weighed nothing. Gwaine dismounted and pulled Lys off rather ungracefully.

"My bad m'lady."

"Just take me to my cell asshole." He followed Percival, who dropped Mickey to the floor that was covered in hay before chaining her to the wall.

"Hey! Take it easy on her, she's unconscious." Lys growled at the man that was handling her best friend, he just shrugged in response. She remained silent as Gwaine chained her up as well.

"Until next time." He bid her farewell.

As soon as the knights disappeared she turned Mickey's head to get a better look at the damage the oaf called Percival had done. The back of her neck was already starting to bruise; Lys guessed she wouldn't wake up until tomorrow. Resting her back against the cold wall she gently put Mickey's head onto her lap, gently playing with her hair thinking of all the ways this could go. Giving up she closed her eyes and slept.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Lys woke up the next morning to the dimly lit cell. Mickey was still gently sleeping on her lap. She could hear the rain outside from the tiny barred window higher up the wall of the cell. She wasn't sure what time it was but she knew it was early. Gently she shook Mickey before lightly tapping her face until she groaned. At least she was alive, but impossibly hard to wake up.

"Mick, Mickey, come on girl you gotta wake up now."

"Shhh Lys, five more minutes, we can handle being late." She groaned.

"Mick, were not at _The Foundation_ anymore. Wake up." Lys hissed trying to wake her sleepy friend.

"Ugh, okay okay, I'm up. Why does it feel like I've been at the bar all day again or maybe I got hit by a truck." Mickey sleepily rubbed her eyes. When she saw where they were she groaned.

"I was really hoping this was just some weird fever dream."

"Nope and also you got hit pretty hard, that's gonna leave a nice bruise for a while." Lys patted her friends back.

"What time is it?"

"No clue but we need a game plan to get out of here."

"Like escaping? Do I get to kick the big oaf's ass?"

Sighing Lys responded, "No Mick, no escaping or ass kicking. We have to try and get out of here with our intelligence. Use your pretty little brain for once. We have a meeting with the king of prats after being in here for a week." Mick sighed; she didn't want to be in this dingy cell for that long.

She gave a light laugh, "At least we aren't back at _The Foundation_, that's a good thing right."

"Yeah for sure." The girls passed the time trying to come up with a plan but ultimately failing. They figured it was about two pm when they heard the shuffling of steps come towards their cell. It was the knight with kind eyes from yesterday holding a tray with food and a jug of water followed by a guard. After the guard unlocked the door he dismissed them. He set the tray down in front of them trying not to startle them.

"I snuck you guys some extra food since I know you didn't get a chance to eat yesterday after we got here." He gestured to the tray with bread and some various fruits.

"Thank you, why would you do that for us?" Lys asked cautiously while Mickey was gob smacked at his kindness and his good looks.

"As I said earlier, you missed the meal from yesterday, and you don't seem like bad people. I'm Lancelot." He gave a small bow of his head.

"Again thank you for your kindness. I'm Mickey and this is Lys." Mickey smiled at the kind knight.

"Odd names for ladies such as yourself." Unlike Gwaine his words held no flirting just him being kind.

"Oh they're just nicknames; we hardly ever use our real names." Lys tried explaining casually without making it sound suspicious. They heard a call from the guard and Lancelot got up.

"Well I must be going; I hope this will tide you over until tomorrow." The girls gave a nod of thanks as he left.

"Wait; before you go can you get us some ginger from the court physician for Mickey's headache?" Lys asked hopefully and he gave a short nod in return.

"Well, he is certainly dashing." Mickey let out a girly giggle that Lys hasn't heard her us naturally. Lys just gave her a disbelieving look.

"What? He is…"

"Whatever, just eat." The girls ate in silence finally putting a rest to the beasts in their bellies. After they finished Mickey's face lit up like she had an incredible idea.

"Can't you just use your magic and hocus pocus us our way out of here?" Lys immediately shushed her.

"Dude, you can't just be saying that. If I remember and if I am correct on where we are, magic is banned and illegal. We have to pretend we don't have it just like back in our world/time. Also that will cause a big scene and blrgh that's the end of us." Lys made a gesture of her throat being slit.

"Oh, okay yeah you have a point. It's just we have been in this cell for not even a day and I want out." She sighed.

"I know Mick, me too, wait I can't use mine without causing a scene but you can!" Lys exclaimed. Mickey's eyes widened like she completely forgot. Lys had an affinity for air, meaning she could control it. It mainly helped them with escapes and distractions. If she focused hard enough she could use it to listen to peoples conversations. Out of the four elements it was the easiest for her to use, if she really tried she can work with fire and water, earth was the hardest for her to learn. _The Foundation_ gave up on the other elements and only let her use her affinity for air. Mickey was a telepath, so during reconnaissance for missions it made communication much easier. She was forced to expand and improve it constantly so now she could tap into others minds whether it was to search their thoughts or memories.

"We can talk about our plans without worry." Lys nodded at her while smirking.

"We can also gather information from the people around us." Mickey's smile widened as she realized they weren't completely hopeless. Mickey readjusted herself to be sitting with her legs crossed, hands on her knees, as she took a deep breath her eyes glowed a faint blue, before they shut in concentration. After a little bit she started mumbling information that was going on around the castle.

"Okay Mick, you need to find the historian or history keeper or whatever he's called. We need to find out as much as possible."

Mickey sighed and opened her eyes; they were now back to her normal color.

"I'm going to have to wait until he's asleep to dig through those memories of his."

"Okay, but you can confirm were back in Arthurian times? Like actual Camelot and not 2020?" She just nodded her head grimly.

Time passed and the girls gathered information to figure out the safest way to get out of it. After half of their week passed in that dingy cell they had enough information to begin figuring out a back story. Little did they know a certain someone could feel the pull of their magic each time they used it. By the time their trail with the king happened the two girls had their story figured out to a tee. They decided that they were going to go with the truth but twisted so that it fit this time period. Finally the morning of their meeting with King Arthur rolled in. The girls were awake before their escorts even showed up. Much to their delight, especially Mickey's, their one escort was Lancelot, and to Lys dismay the other one was none other than Gwaine.

Lancelot gave the girls a kind smile to which Lys nodded and Mickey returned. He unchained her from the wall before chaining them behind her back. Gwaine did the same for Lys as she tried to ignore his stupid smirk that irked her to no end, although she was very good at hiding her irritation.

"Did ya miss me m'lady?"

"Who are you? Have we met? You know I think I would remember someone as annoying as you." This caused the man to chuckle and guided her along. The girls made sure to memorize the halls they passed through until they stopped at a large set of double doors. The guards let them through and in front of them was the enormous throne room filled with people that they assumed was the court on one side and the knights on the other. Sitting at the front was King Arthur and who they assumed to be his wife, Queen Guinevere, on their throne chairs. Lancelot and Gwaine forced them to their knees in front of them before retreating to their side with the rest of the knights taking their places. Two guards stood behind the girls making sure they wouldn't run or try anything, to do so would have been a death wish. They bowed their heads to the king and queen and didn't lift them until Arthur told them to do so.

"Do you care to explain your actions?" His voice commanded respect. Lys cleared her throat before speaking.

"My apologies for our brash behavior before your highness, we are extremely grateful to you for giving us an opportunity to explain ourselves. Let us start from the beginning, my name is Iris Lysel, my friend here is-"

"I am Andrea or Andreas Michaels, your highness." Mickey interrupted Lys; she cleared her throat again before continuing.

"We come from a kingdom far away from these lands, that would be why we were so disrespectful towards you and your men, our sincerest apologies, we were-" This time she was cut off by the king himself.

"If you are actually from this far away kingdom as you claim, what are you doing in my lands?" Lys took a deep breath reminding herself that she and Mickey are at his mercy.

"We are travelers, runaways if you would prefer, our king is a tyrant and we could not stand his cruelty anymore, so we left. His men have been hunting us down along with our run ins with bandits, we were tense and on edge when we ran into you and your knights sire."

"Why would a king such as himself care if you left, why would he even notice?"

"Well your highness, he was impressed with our skills and was enraged when we did not want to bend to his will anymore, we-."

"Enough of this nonsense, why is your king after you?" Lys and Mickey looked at each other and took a deep breath.

"We are assassins or mercenaries as you please sire, the best he has ever had." They said in unison. The air crackled with tension as if everyone simultaneously held their breath.

"How do I know you two were not sent to kill me and my queen?" Mickey chuckled.

"With all due respect, if we were sent to kill you we would have known your name and you would be dead already." Lys elbowed her.

"Sire." She finished her statement.

"Well I have heard enough you shall be banished-."

"Wait, sire, please, hear us out before you banish us." Lys had not heard Mickey plead in years for well anything. Guinevere grabbed Arthurs hand and whispered something to him.

"Very well, out with it." Lys ears perked up at this.

"We did not choose this life, Mickey, I mean Andreas and I were orphans. One of the king's men took us in and started to raise us. He was a good and kind man unlike his king, he taught us how to fight, how to defend ourselves from a young age, along with skills in medicine and the caretaking of animal, but he was killed in war. When the king found out about us he was going to kill us but realized our potential. We were raised as killers, forced to obey, to not ask questions, or face the consequences. This dealt a great toll on our sanity, so we finally said enough was enough and left. The journey for a place to start new has been a long and unpleasant one. Realizing your graciousness and mercy that you have shown us so far we wish to ask you to rethink your banishment. We our willing to offer all of our skills and services for the chance to begin anew."

King Arthur was silent as he stared down at the girls, both Lys and Mickey had their heads bowed awaiting his final judgement. During the time Guinevere leaned over and whispered something to him making him sigh and shake his head.

"Out of mercy and the kindness of my wife you shall not be banished. You will be allowed to stay in her old home as it remains empty, but you will have to earn your keep and earn our trust if you wish to start over here."

"Thank you sire." Both girls let out a relieved sigh at the news. The court started clapping slowly chanting long live the king. Lancelot escorted the girls to Guinevere's old home outside of the citadel. When they arrived he opened the door allowing them to pass in front of him. Mickey leaned over and whispered to Lys.

"I guess chivalry is dead, you know since in our time he's dead." Lys just snorted and elbowed Mickey to silently tell her that it wasn't funny. The girls gazed around what would be the equivalent of a cottage; they would definitely be making changes here and there. Lys knew they would have no problem sharing a bed but she always loved hammocks so they would try and rig one up.

"You know the King has no need for assassins or mercenaries right?" Lancelot asked after the girls had settled down on the edge of the bed. Mickey laughed and I just smiled.

"We were hoping that would be the case, that path is behind us now. That's why we are here trying to start a new." Lys and Mickey shared a smile that their life could finally be behind them, or so they hoped.

"What skills do you hope to offer then?"

"Well Lys here is really talented in medicine and diagnosing people, plus we both know how to grow our own food." Mickey low key complimented Lys so she returned the favor.

"Mickey here is basically an animal tamer; she has a way with them, not to mention she's a talented hunter and cook." The two grinned at each other. Lancelot gave a soft smile at the girls, he couldn't believe they had were potential killers; sure they had been feisty when they first encountered each other but they never tried to hurt him or the rest of his group.

"Oh no, Lancelot, I know that look. You have done enough for us; you do not have to do anything else. We need to prove we can survive on our own." Mickey laid a gentle hand on his bicep. Lys kept her snicker at bay as she watched her friend failing at stopping herself from flirting with the handsome knight.

"Are you sure? Being friends with a knight means you have connections." He teased, the girls knew he would pull some strings just to help them out, but that isn't what they had wanted. They were used to working towards what they want on their own and they were not about to change that.

"Yes Sir Lancelot, we may not look it, but we're tough ladies. Although we appreciate the thought, you should probably get back to your knightly duties." Mickey pouted at Lys words. She wished Lancelot could stay longer, maybe even help them settle in but she knew that he had to get back to his job. He bid the girls farewell and said he would check on them later. They began cleaning the place up and when they were done they unpacked what little belongings they actually had. The town was still bustling and the girls had nothing better to do so they decided to explore the town more. The only weird looks they got were for their funny clothes but other than that there were no looks of contempt, a change from the looks that they are used to. As they wandered through the market place they noticed a heavily pregnant woman struggling with her basket of fruits and other foods. Instantly the girls were at her side to help.

"Excuse me ma'am, would you like help home? We can carry your basket too." Mickey piped up. The lady had a relieved look on her face.

"That would be great dears, bless you." The kind woman smiled as Mickey took the heavy basket from her arm. Lys linked arms with the lady so she could take some of her weight if need be. On the walk, well more like a stroll, back to the lady's house they found out her name was Kaharis and she was the wife of the tavern and inn keeper Evoric. When they arrived at her humble home she invited us in for dinner to thank the girls, they were about to politely refuse when they realized they didn't have any food back at their house.

Mickey spoke for the girls, "Thank you Kaharis that would be lovely."

"Of course, after your kindness it is the least I can do." The girls shuffled in behind her. Mickey insisted on helping to cook dinner and Lys set the table. Just as the stew finished a man walked through the door, the girls assumed he was Evoric since Kaharis embraced him and gave him a peck on the cheek.

"Kaharis, who are these strangers?" He gave the girls a cautious look over, scared that the girls were going to do something terrible to him and his pregnant wife.

"This is Andrea and Iris, they helped me at the market so they are staying for dinner. They are quite nice dear." Kaharis had gestured to each girl respectfully when she said their name. The girls stepped forward to greet him.

"Thank you for having us for dinner, you can call me Mick or Mickey, and you can call Iris by her name or Lys, whatever you prefer." Both girls bowed slightly, they wanted to show him they meant no harm. He gave a short skeptical nod of acceptance. When everyone sat down Lys served everyone. As they ate Evoric questioned the girls a bit before loosening up. When they found out he was short on help in the inn and tavern since his wife was clearly very pregnant the girls offered to help. He wanted to take them up on the offer but wasn't sure if he could afford to pay both of them. Mickey and Lys shook their heads saying they were just offering help not to be paid. In the end they came to a deal, he would pay Mickey since she would be working the kitchen and on better days he would pay Lys who would work at the tavern during the night serving and cleaning. The group talked and joked for the rest of the meal, it was almost as if they were a family. The girls were smiling the whole time, these types of interactions are what they craved after being deprived of it in their old everyday life.

Lys began cleaning up the table, handing Mickey the dishes to wash, while she would dry. Since the girls didn't know where they were put away Evoric did that while his wife had a chance to rest. The girls got ready to leave when they had finished. Kaharis pulled them into hugs thanking them for all their help while they thanked her for a wonderful meal. Night had settled and the air felt good on the girls' skin.

"What are the odds Lys? Is this a dream? Are we going to wake back up at _The Foundation_ and have to go back to that life? I don't want to go back to doing that stuff anymore…" Mickey trailed off. It was weird seeing her display emotions like this, both of them had been used to cutting them off only for the rare occasion where they weren't being watched.

"Mick…if this is a dream I'm going to cry. But hey if it's a dream…" Lys stopped talking and socked Mickey in the arm causing her to yelp.

"Yeah okay not a dream. Point proven, don't you dare." She pointed an accusing finger at Lys who had her arm up ready to strike again playfully. They got home and stripped to their sleep clothes. Mickey had a habit of sleeping in sweatpants and just a bra while Lys would wear an oversized shirt or sweater without pants. They did it out of habit realizing it would be weird in this time period for people to sleep like that, they shrugged it off an went to bed.

Days had passed until the girls had been in Camelot for a week, they already fell into patterns and habits forming a schedule. Mickey would hunt early in the morning before heading to _The Rising Sun_, Evorics' inn/tavern where she would cook or clean depending on what needed to be done. They usually had dinner with Lancelot or Kaharis and Evoric, they hardly ever ate alone. Lys would pick herbs and do laundry in the morning or afternoon since she didn't work the tavern until later when it gets busier and Evoric needs an extra set of hands. He was surprised at how quick she was to adapt and how light she was on her feet. It still stunned him sometimes to watch her work effortlessly through the crowd and how she handled rowdy customers. Tonight was no exception.

Lys walked through the back door of the tavern greeting Mickey as she put her bag down and out of the way, she had shown up a bit earlier today but she could still hear the rowdy talking of the customers. The only thing she hated about this job was the flirts, the worst of them seemed to frequent here quite often but she usually was busy enough to only interact with him for a few seconds at a time. The person she was referring to is the king of flirts himself, the every obnoxious, in her mind, Sir Gwaine. She stepped out from the back to behind the bar greeting Evoric with a friendly hug.

"Ready to get to work boss, seems like another busy night." She teased.

"I'm glad you showed up early, tonight is a little rowdier than normal. Think you can handle it?" She nudged his side.

"Of course, what do you take me for? A slacker? I would hope not." They both shared a laugh and off she was serving trays of mead to tables. This job always kept her on her feet and on her toes metaphorically, she never knew what to expect. She went back to the bar as Evoric was filling up another tray for her.

"This is for the knights over at that table, good luck." He teased, she rolled her eyes. She had gotten used to seeing the knights. She made her way nimbly through the crowd not spilling a drop a drop. She set the tray down on their table with a smile, ignoring Gwaine and his stupid smirk.

"Busy night Iris?" Lancelot asked with a kind smile.

"You know it Lance, no bar fights yet thankfully, so let's keep it that way, Gwaine." She said with a pointed look. He put his hands up in defense.

"No promises m'lady." She scoffed at him with a roll of her eyes.

"I'll be around, holler if you need me. Bye boys." She grinned and disappeared through the crowd back to the bar. Evoric had one of the other trays filled up already so she swapped it for the empty one and headed to the table he pointed to. This carried on for a short while, until a particular drunk decided to make her life more eventful tonight. As she carried a full tray through the crowd a foot stuck out tripping her intentionally. She managed to keep the tray balanced in one hand as her knee hit the ground painfully, her empty hand balancing her on the floor. She got up and brushed the dirt off herself. The table of men that had tripped her snickered at her fall. She inwardly sighed and was just glad she didn't spill anything, she had a record to keep.

"Sorry lass, didn't mean to trip you up." The greasy man had a smug smile on his face. She gave him a friendly grin back.

"S'alright, no harm done." She promptly turned and set the drinks down at the table that had been waiting. Taking the empty tray back she made sure to avoid going past that table. Evoric asked if she was okay to which she just smirked and nodded. A little fall wouldn't stop her was her reply. As she served the knights again Lancelot also voiced his concern, she just brushed it off and continued working. Eventually she had to serve the table next to the ones that had tripped her. As she leaned over to serve the people their drinks she sensed a hand reaching to grab her ass, she quickly slapped it away, and stood to face him with her right hand on her hip and the now empty tray under her left arm.

"You can look but you can't touch." She waggled her pointer finger at him as if she was scolding a child. His face turned red in anger but before she could deal with his reaction she heard a fight start. She darted towards the noise and slammed her tray on the empty table next to the guys about to brawl again. They looked over at her because of the noise and went back to yelling at each other. Huffing she stood between them and pushed a hand into each of their chests causing them to back up.

"What's your problem lass?" The one to her left questioned her gruffly.

"This has nothing to do with you." The other one said backing up the first one. She rolled her eyes.

"It DOES have something to do with me. I will not tolerate any fighting inside this tavern." They laughed and ignored her. They went back to yelling at each other and one decided to throw a punch. She quickly grabbed his wrist and bent his arm behind his back making him grunt in pain. She then reached out and pinched the other ones ear roughly. Lys shoved the guy forward roughly towards the door while dragging the other by his ear. Both men were clearly drunk but she wasn't going to have them wreck Evorics' tavern. A bystander opened the door for her not wanting to get in her way and she threw them out into the night.

"Go home you drunk oafs and don't you dare think about coming back in here tonight." She yelled at them and they scrambled off. She brushed her hands together in mock of wiping them off. The tavern was silent and stared at her when she closed the door.

"Listen up! If you want to fight take it outside. I will not tolerate that kind of shit in here. You break it? You pay for it. Do I make myself clear?" She smiled sweetly but the tavern goers could hear the venom in her voice. The talking resumed as she went about serving drinks again. Eventually it was closing time and people were taking off for the night. Lancelot hung around as the other knights left, this was routine, Mickey would hang out in the kitchen cleaning or helping Kaharis with whatever she needed and Lancelot would wait for the girls to finish and walk them home. Lys was happy for them, they both seemed to really like each other and were hitting it off. Mickey had finished washing all the mugs and was casually chatting with said knight while Lys worked on cleaning the rest of the tavern. Evoric called me over to the counter.

"How can I help you Evoric?"

He sighed, "I hate to do this to you Iris, but my wife needs me at home, could you finish cleaning up, get things ready for tomorrow morning, and then lock up? You can give Mick the keys, she's opening tomorrow morning." He looked tired and worn down.

"Of course, it's no problem Evoric, now go get home to Kaharis before she bites our heads off." Lys laughed and sent him off. She heard Lancelot and Mickey laughing to each other and couldn't resist a smile. She walked over to them and started shooing them out the door saying she would see Mickey at home. She walked out the door behind them to make sure they would actually leave. As she was going to head back in she heard coughing from around the corner of the building. Sighing to herself she went to check it out, she had to make sure no one was dying. To her surprise she recognized the person leaning against the wall.

"Gwaine? What are you doing here still? I thought you left with the other knights?" As much as she didn't want to be concerned she was.

"Ah, it's you m'lady. They left me behind and then I decided to wait for you." His words slurred a little and he swayed as he stopped leaning on the wall. She cursed to herself, knowing she would have to take care of him. Grabbing his arm and slinging it over her shoulder she managed to stumble back into the tavern with him. She sat him down at one of the booths and went to the back to get him some water. When she returned his elbow was on the table and his face was in his hand with a small smile.

She clunked the mug on the table, "Drink this and don't go anywhere, I have to finish cleaning up." He lifted the mug to his lips and took a sip still smiling for some reason.

"What?" She snapped at him, causing him to smile a little more.

"You do care." It wasn't his usual smirk on his face but a genuine smile that Lys couldn't help but find a little attractive. She rolled her eyes and muttered under her breath.

She got to work wiping down the tables, only pausing in her duties to fill Gwaine's mug with more water, she really needed him to sober up enough to get him back to his room. After the tables were done she began sweeping the floor, when she passed Gwaine she smacked him with the broom, causing him to chuckle, a slight smile graced her lips without her knowing. After sweeping she decided to scrub the floors quickly. She wanted to lighten the load for Evoric, knowing he had been stressed lately. While she was doing this Gwaine just watched her tired yet graceful movements, it seemed like she was moving in slow motion and fast forwarded, but that was probably from the alcohol. He liked watching her work, it was relaxing and gave him something to focus on. She grabbed his now empty mug, heading to the back to clean it and added it back to the shelf. She set out a few things she knew Mickey or Evoric would need in the morning. By the time she was done it was super late and Gwaine was starting to nod off in the booth he sat in. She chuckled to herself as his head lolled back and forth on his hand. Making sure to be gentle she shook his shoulder bringing him back to the world of the conscious.

"I'm awake! I wasn't asleep!" Lys laughed at his antics. He calmed down when he realized where he was.

"Ready to go?" She asked him. He grinned.

"I'm always ready to go wherever you are heading m'lady. Do I get the honor of going to your humble home?" She gagged and rolled her eyes.

"No you doof, I'm taking your drunk ass back to your room." He had his smirk on again.

"Not like that either! Oh my gods, you are on your own. Get out of my tavern." Lys shrieked, shocking herself, she never shrieked. He let out a loud laugh as she shoved him out the door, following behind him and locking it.

"I'm sorry Iris, you're just so easy to tease." She just started walking the opposite way of him ignoring his pleas. He caught up to her and hooked his arm around hers.

"Will you do me the honor of escorting my _drunk ass _home?" He gave her hard core puppy eyes. "Please?" The pout was next. She sighed at his antics and nodded her head. He gave a childish whoop and turned them in the direction of the castle. It took them awhile to get back due to Gwaine having a tendency to wander. When they finally reached his room he stumbled in dragging her in with him.

"Thank you for escorting me home m'lady." He leaned in and gave her a kiss on the cheek. Lys could smell the alcohol on his breath. She laughed as he fell onto the bed completely sprawled out, quietly she closed the door and made it back to her house. The door squeaked but the sleeping Mickey was still unaware. Lys smiled to herself and tucked her best friend in better as she had thrown the blanket off of her and onto the floor. The bed was completely taken up by Mickey so Lys sighed opting to sleep on the floor when she remembered that they had made a hammock behind the screen. Sighing she stripped and climbed into curling into the blanket and the pillow.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Another week passed with the same routine except Lys didn't run into Gwaine again. She wasn't sure if he even remembered it. She brushed it off as she grabbed her bag to go pick herbs. It was still early in the morning but the townspeople were still bustling about. She made her way into the woods going the way she had learned through exploring since she had been in Camelot. After about an hour of picking herbs and enjoying the leisurely stroll back to the town. Lys noticed two bigger playing with a smaller boy near the moat. A she got closer she realized they were picking on him, shoving him around, and taunting him. When they noticed her presence they pushed the smaller kid into the moat and ran off.

"Hey! Get back here you two!" Her yelling trailed after them falling on deaf ears. She ran to where the little boy was crying and wading to shallower water. Ignoring the fact that she was going to get wet she met him in the shallow water and guided him to the bank. Lys noticed he was bleeding on his right arm. The cut looked bad and the boy couldn't calm down. She gently grabbed his face and made him look at her. His eyes were breathtaking. The left one was the purest blue Lys had ever seen and the other one was a chocolate brown.

"Hey, it's okay. Look at me. I need you to breathe with me." She started slowly taking deep breaths in and then slowly exhaling. The boy started to calm down and breathe with her.

"Okay now that you've calmed down let me take a look at that cut." She saw his hesitance.

"It's okay I'm just going to help." The boy hesitantly gave her his arm while tears slowly fell down his cheeks. The cut was from his wrist almost to his elbow and it was deep. She didn't have the supplies to give him the best care.

"Okay, I need to clean this and then we are going to get better help. It's going to hurt so I'm going to ask you questions to distract you okay?" He gave a small timid nod. _Gods this boy was adorable_ Lys couldn't help but think. She ripped the bottom of her oversized tunic that she had been given so she could clean up the extra blood. Lys grabbed her bag and pulled out her water skin and a medium vial filled with a liquid that would disinfect the wound.

She poured water on the strip of fabric and looked at the boy, "So let's start of easy, my names Iris Lysel, my friends call my Lys. What's your name?" She asked as she poured water over his cut and began gently wiping the blood away. He sniffed in pain but managed to mumble out his name.

The shy voice squeaked "Cyan." She smiled at him encouragingly as she finishes with the water.

"I love that name. This next part is gonna sting a bit more but it's so your wound does not become more painful. Tell me about yourself? What's something that you really like?" She waited for him to respond before pouring the antiseptic into his wound.

"I really like stories. M-my mom tells me them all the time, especially when I-I'm scared." He winced as the antiseptic fizzed in his wound. Lys ripped her shirt more causing it to expose her midriff and quickly wrapped Cyan's arm as he started crying again. She whispered apologies over and over again reassuring him that it would be over soon. As soon as she was done he was inconsolable. She put her bag on and gently picked him up, he buried his head into her shoulder and sobbed into saying it hurts.

"Hey Cyan, do you want to hear a story?" He nodded his head as she began walking towards the gates and through the town. Lys thought about what story to tell him and decided she would put a twist on one of the stories her and Mickey had learned growing up. She told him the story of peter pan, embellishing the story, adding dramatics, and funny voices to distract him. Cyan's sobs turned to hiccups as he listened in delight at the enthralling tale of Neverland.

They finally reached the castle as she finished the story and rushed to Gaius' chambers. Forgoing knocking Lys opened the door startling Merlin and Gaius in the process as they looked at each other with wide eyes. Their looks cued in that they were talking about something they wouldn't want people to listen in on.

"Sorry for interrupting, but this is important. He fell and cut his arm on a rock and I don't have the materials to do it myself, I'm worried he might need stitches. I cleaned it with water and antiseptic and wrapped it for now." Lys rambled on about the ingredients in the antiseptic and what she would have used if she had it. Gaius shook his head and raised his hand to cut her off and gestured her to bring the boy over to the bed.

"Sorry." She whispered as Gaius unwrapped the bandage causing Cyan to whimper. He reached out his small hand and grabbed Lys'. After Gaius examined it he shuffled about collecting things to treat it.

"Will you sit with me and tell me another story?" Lys couldn't say no to his cute little face. She sat on the bed and pulled him into her lap giving him two fingers to squeeze when he was in pain. She started her tale as Gaius got to work.

"This story is about a little girl who lived on an island with her family. She was taught to fear the ocean and to be afraid of its unpredictability. Yet, even with all of the times she was told to be afraid of it she couldn't help but be drawn to it. She was fascinated, excited by the ocean and the wonders it held." Lys continued the story as Cyan squeezed her fingers, listening and hanging off every word she said. Gaius finished up with his stitches before she was done with the tale but she kept up until the story ended. Cyan was smiling now, the tears were dried and he had forgotten about his arm.

"Cyan can you wait for me in the hall, I'll only be a minute okay?" He nodded and ran off.

"How did you know I wanted to talk to you?" Gaius raised an eyebrow.

"Oh, uh, actually I wanted to talk to you. I was wondering if you had redacted to help with his pain and swelling. I don't have much, but I can pay for it." Gaius shook his head.

"I'll give it to you, but you need to answer a few of my question." Lys nodded her head in response. Merlin interrupted Gaius before he had a chance to ask a question.

"Where did you hear of a story like that?" Merlin was like Cyan and fascinated with it.

"It's one of the many stories I heard growing up in my kingdom. They weren't always happy so Mickey and I would always put a twist on them." Merlin nodded his head in satisfaction.

"Anyways, what did you want to ask Gaius?"

"I wanted to know more about your knowledge of medicine. I was curious about how much you know and-." The door burst open and there was Gwaine with his hand on Cyan's head. Lys almost growled out not to touch him, but his hand was on his head in a friendly gesture not a hostile one.

"Where did this rugrat come from? Oh, hello M'lady." He bowed slightly, removing his hand from Cyan's head. Lys grabbed the bottle from Gaius, thanked him, and promptly left with an _I know the instructions_. Gaius was going to want to talk with her more. Cyan grabbed her hand with his smaller one tugging on it to slow her down. She smiled at him and slowed her pace so he could keep up. They talked as they walked and he told her all about his family. His mom and older sister are seamstresses, the boy that pick on him do it because they think he's too girls, and he never mentioned his dad. He led her to his house where he just walked in, Lys trailed after him awkwardly. His mom rushed up to him immediately after she saw his bandaged arm.

"Did those mean boys do this to you again?" He nodded his head but turned and pointed at Lys.

"But she scared them off and took me and now I'm all fixed up!" His toothy grin melted Lys inside, she didn't normally like kids, but this one had smuggled his way into her heart. Lys held out the bottle to Cyan's mother and she took it confused.

"It's a remedy for when it gets painful or itchy, I also have an ointment at home to dress his wound."

"Oh how can I repay you?" The lady was too nice to ask for anything.

"Don't worry about it ma'am, I'm just happy to help. I'll stop by every day to redress and rewrap his wound until its better. This little guy found a way into my heart so it really isn't a big deal." Lys ruffled Cyans' hair playfully. With a final round of thanks Lys took her leave going about her daily routine.

The next day she spent her morning with Cyan until Gwaine showed up. He was dressed in his chainmail and extremely sweaty, it appeared as if he just finished training.

"Greetings m'lady." Cue Lys usual eye roll and sigh whenever Gwaine was around.

"How can I help you Gwaine." Lys kept the irritation out of her voice, not wanting Cyan to get the wrong impression. What impression he would get she wouldn't know. Cyan giggled and ran off home waving goodbye.

"What a cute kid, anyways Gaius needs to see you."

"I'm a little busy at the moment, is it important?" She lied about being busy but she really didn't want to deal with Gaius and his questions.

"Busy with what?" He scoffed knowing she was lying.

"But, yes it's important, he needs you now." He grabbed her hand and dragged her all the way to Gaius chamber. When they arrived he shoved her through the door to see Mickey with Gaius, Merlin, and Mickey to her surprise.

"He is the stable hand, he collapsed while Merlin was there and Mickey was passing by. Merlin couldn't bring him on his own so she helped him get him here." Gwaine quickly informed Lys.

"Why am I needed here then?" She was hella confused, Gaius was right there, why did they need her.

"I want you to tell me what's wrong with him." Gaius always confused her but without questioning him she walked to the man. First she placed her hand on his forehead, checked his eyes, felt his pulse, and then checked his body over for any potential wounds or broken bones.

"He's feverish, pulse is slow, breath is shallow and ragged, I think he has a broken rib or a few. You said he was a stable hand right? Did he get kicked by a horse when he collapsed? Anyways redacted can be used to calm the fever, maybe mix it with redacted to reduce pain, we don't want to use redacted in case there is any potential internal bleeding. I don't believe his lungs were punctured as his breath would be a different pattern. When he wakes up we can go from there to treat the ribs since there is not much we can really do about it. We could wake him up now with redacted but it would be best to let him rest so he can get past the fever." Mickey grinned at her causing Lys to shrug. Merlin's mouth hung open a bit in shock, while Gaius nodded his head in agreement with what she had said. Gwaine was leaning by the door frame impressed. The moment was ruined by Arthur's voice.

"MERLIN!" The king of prats called. Mickey giggled and nudged him to go.

"Hey, don't forget to put a good word in for me." She winked, while Lys gave her a confused look. Mickey shook her hand in a way to say I'll tell you later.

"Of course Mick, let's go Gwaine." Merlin grabbed Gwaine and pulled him with him out of the room.

"Since when does Merlin call you Mick?" Lys asked.

"Well, I've been bumping into him a lot lately, plus he's really close with Lancelot so we naturally bonded. He's a good guy, even if he is a bit sassy and goofy. I've helped him in the stables or with the horses a few times." Mickey shrugged.

"Speaking of putting in a good word, Gaius why did you want me to diagnose him?"

"It was a test. I wanted to test your knowledge and I am impressed. Merlin is always busy with Arthur and I am getting too old to keep doing this by myself. I wouldn't mind having an assistant, if you want of course." Lys' mouth dropped open, her eyes wide as she grabbed Mickey and started hopping up and down excitedly.

"Yes! Of course, I would love to. I'm excited to learn all that I can from you." She let Mickey go and bowed before hopping up and down again and hugged Gaius shocking him and her. When she let go they all laughed.

"I'm glad to see your excitement, I'll be seeing you tomorrow morning bright and early then." The girls thanked him again before leaving. They talked excitedly between themselves as they left the castle. When they entered the courtyard they could see the knights training, Lancelot looked up and waved at the girls who smiled and waved back. The thud followed by an oof, turned their attention to Merlin who was holding the equivalent of a punching bag on the ground as Arthur stood over him. They laughed and continued on their way.

"Wait, let's stop by the stables. I want to show you my favorite." Mickey grabbed Lys hand and pulled her in excitement to the stables. All the horses were tethered except one was all by itself at the end. He was a gorgeous black stallion, his eyes were fierce as he glared at the girls. He knackered and stomped the ground in place. Of course Mickey would pick the most difficult horse.

"This is the culprit of the broken ribs, he's a little rough around the edges, but deep down he's a sweetheart. Like you Lys." Mickey teased as she approached the horse slowly. Her voice cooing at the horse calmly seemingly to cause him to stop prancing in place, he stared her down as she slowly approached him. Soon enough she was an arm's length away and carefully lifted her hand, placing it on the stallions side.

"This is the closest he's let me before, I think I've made some progress." Mickey had a gentle smile on her face as she gently patted the horse down. The girls were so entranced by the interaction they didn't hear Merlin enter, he stood there in shock.

"He finally let you touch him?" Merlin was clearly in shock.

"For gods sake Merlin, you can't even get my horse. What is your problem today?" The king of prats himself walked into the stall. This startled the stallion, he bucked his head, and Lys was about to call out to Mickey but she quickly grabbed the horses head and put her own to it. Her soft coos could be heard across the stable as the horse calmed down.

"No one has been able to approach that horse since we got him. How did you do it?"

"Well Arthur, I mean sire, I guess you can say I have a way with animals. He's a stubborn one though, a tough nut to crack." She giggled as she rubbed his muzzle.

"I was hoping to ask to get a job here in the stables, I think I can work with him to calm down his temperament, and maybe even be able to ride him." Arthur thought about Mickey's offer, the current stable boy was in the infirmary, and an extra hand never hurt.

"Why not, if you can tame the horse he is yours to keep as well. There is no use for a horse you can't ride." Mickey suppressed a small squeal and ran over to Lys, embracing her in a crushing hug.

"Looks like things are going well today huh mick."

~Time Skip~

Both of the girls spent the week getting used to their new jobs, still helping out at _The Rising Sun_ when they could, it was easier for them to help out during the nights. Mickey would show up early to cook breakfast for the guests at the inn before heading to the stables. Today was the day she was going to try and ride the black stallion. She was up at the crack of dawn with excitement, the amount of progress she had made in the past week had been incredible. Today was also the day the stable hand, Bert, would be returning so she would have a chance to take a break. She quickly changed into her black pants from their time and a shirt the seamstress made her in thanks of Lys helping her son. Tip toeing around to not wake Lys knowing that she had too many late nights due to helping Gaius all day and then immediately going to the tavern was taking a toll on her, and she was still quick to wake at the smallest sounds due to all of the years of torment they were submitted to. As much as Mickey was changing and enjoying this new life, she at least had Lancelot to distract her from the horrendous memories. Lys ignored it by keeping herself busy.

She closed the door with a quiet thud before walking towards_ The Rising Sun_ with a slight skip in her step. She smiled and greeted the familiar faces she saw on the streets while gently swinging the key back and forth. When she got to the inn she started on breakfast immediately, she finished as Evoric and Kaharis walked in sharing a smile. They greeted her with a hug and offered her to stay for breakfast. They chatted about Mickey's new job while they ate and Mickey was glad to talk about her plans for the day. After they had finished eating and cleaning up Mickey bid farewell and took off towards the stables. She still managed to beat Bert there so she started with her tasks, greeting him when he arrived. When they finished with most of their tasks Mickey gathered the courage to ask Bert.

"Bert, do you mind if I take him out for a ride?" She gestured to the tethered horse.

"Think he will let you already?" Bert was skeptical, she hadn't even been here a week and she could be around that horse more than he had since it had been here.

"He let me saddle him up yesterday, so I wanted to see if he will let me take him for a ride, ya know."

"Oh I want to see this." He was hoping she would succeed but also wanted to see the horses reaction. She saddled the stallion up and untethered him from his post in the stable. She used gentle clicks of her tongue to encourage him to follow her and behave. She had been taking him out in the courtyard these past few days leading him around so he was used to the noises. They were greeted by the knights, especially her favorite, Sir Lancelot. He was chatting with Elyan and Gwaine. Mickey was waiting for the day that Gwaine would break down Iris's walls, he may be a flirt, but he certainly was charming and she could see him already slowly cracking her tough exterior. Elyan and Gwaine noticed her first as Lancelot's back was to her. They smiled and waved causing him to turn towards her. She couldn't keep the smile off her face.

"Good morning Andreas." Elyan and Gwaine greeted her politely.

"Now, now, boys, for the hundredth time, call me Mick or Mickey. No need to be so formal." She chuckled as they grinned at her. Lancelot grabbed her free hand and kissed her knuckles, she felt the heat rising to her cheeks, hoping the other two wouldn't notice as they would tease her relentlessly, especially if they told Merlin, which they would.

"Hello to you too Lancelot."

"Good morning, finally taking the leap with the stallion?" He gestured to the horse behind her starting to get impatient. She nodded.

"I think today is the day, would you care to escort us?" Her effortless confidence shocked her inside, Lys would be teasing her if she heard how bold she was being. Lancelot's mouth opened and then closed. The two knights behind him patted his back.

"Go on Lancelot, the beautiful lady needs an escort. Elyan and I can handle the duties ourselves."

"Flattery will get you nowhere Gwaine." Mickey laughed, he was used to her brushing off his attempts, but to him he liked Iris's feisty eye rolls and scoffs.

"Especially if you really want to woo Lys." She whispered in his ear as she patted his shoulder. Lancelot returned with his white steed saddled up.

"Thanks you two, ready to go M'lady." He grabbed her hand. She laughed again, it was music to his ears.

"I think Gwaine is rubbing off on you a little too much." Gwaine scoffed at her words and pretended to be hurt.

"You're words hurt me M'lady."

"Yeah, yeah, let us go Lance." She took a deep breath before mounting her stallion easily. He stomped his feet a bit, but in excitement rather than irritation. When Lancelot was ready to go she clicked her tongue and she took off. He followed behind her laughing. They raced into the woods before slowing down.

"You know it is rude to ask for an escort and then ditch him, don't you m'lady." He teased.

"Maybe my escort should learn to keep up." She smirked at him.

"These woods can be dangerous you know."

"Hmm, last time I was in these woods and I was attacked it was by you and your friends." She couldn't help but reminisce at the memory.

"Exactly! Dangerous woods I tell you."

"It's okay now, I have my knight and shining armor on his white steed." Her black stallion huffed.

"And of course my gallant black stallion." She patted his side lovingly. The two laughed as the horse seemed to bask in the praise. They began a gentle trot through the woods to stretch the horses legs and to keep moving. They chatted as they did, telling embarrassing stories of their friends and childhoods.

"Not to pry, but what did you and Iris go through growing up? I can't help but to be curious about it." Mickey smiled sadly.

"I don't want to ruin today or the mood, but another time, I will answer all your questions when the time is right." He nodded and respected her response. They went back to chatting, not wanting their time to end, but they needed to get back to Camelot. The ride back went much slower as neither wanted their time to end. When they did get back Lancelot helped her off her horse. She thanked him and gave him a kiss on the cheek bidding him farewell as she carefully led both the horses back to the stables. As she was leaving she ran into Iris who immediately started smirking at her._ Oh no_, was all Mickey could think.

"So, how was your date?" Lys bumped her shoulder into Mickey's.

"Those rat bastards told you, didn't they!"

"Oh no, they didn't, but they DID tell Merlin who told me." The smirk was back and she put her hand to her heart.

"Oh Lancelot, would you escort me on a ride? Why Lanceylot, how bout I get down on one knee right now and propose while I'm at it." Lys clutched her heart and mocked Mickey.

"I'm going to kill them. I'm seriously going to kill them." She growled.

"Spare the idiots, what would your beloved Lancey think if you killed his friends?" Mickey growled at Lys this time.

"You know what? I'm going to kill you first and then them. Better start running bitch boy." Iris laughed as she took off, Mickey calling her bitch boy brought back memories from when they first didn't get along. Mickey chased her all around the courtyard before she finally got tackled. They wrestled a bit, Lys laughing the entire time before they heard a throat clear. Lys flipped Mickey off of her and onto her back next to her. Standing above them was Arthur.

"Am I interrupting something ladies?" He clearly wasn't happy with their interruption. Both girls stood up, brushing themselves of sheepishly, but Lys still had a smile on her face. She had spotted the knights plus Merlin behind Arthur hiding their laughter behind hands, she spotted Lancelot at the same time Mickey did. She shot Iris a look telling her not to embarrass her any further.

"Actually we were just—mmph." Mickey slapped a hand over Lys' mouth to cut her off from finishing her sentence.

"We were just heading home!" Iris started losing it at this point and was laughing behind Mickey's hand. Arthur simply raised his eyebrow at the girls strange behavior. Mickey turned around and stormed off dragging Iris by her shirt.

She waved with a smirk, "Bye boys, bye Lancey." Iris knew this made Mickey want to scream. The knights couldn't hold their laughter in anymore, Gwaine and Merlin were the worst, while Lancelot looked around confused. Mickey dragged Lys all the way back to their house before letting her go to flop on the bed.

"Why do you have to embarrass me so much Lys." She groaned.

"Oh come on Mick, it was just some harmless teasing. He's the first guy that isn't bat shit insane or that has an ego the size of a continent that you've dated. I'm your best friend, it's my duty to embarrass you." Mickey snapped up and glared at her.

"Exactly! He is the first guy that I've actually liked this much, what if he doesn't want to see me again after today?" She threw her head into the pillow and groaned.

"Hey, I'm sorry. I didn't realize it would bother you this much."

"It's fine, but I have three words for you. Payback. Is. A. Bitch."

"That's four Mick…"

"You're on thin fucking ice Iris Lysel." Mickey pointed her finger accusingly at her. Iris put her hands up in defense.

"Alright, alright, stay in tonight, I'll handle the tavern tonight. We have a little trip to go on tomorrow anyways." Mickey just nodded her head not lifting it up. Iris went to the tavern and informed Evoric that it was just her tonight. It was a slow night surprisingly for the tavern giving her a break to think about things. The sound of the door snapped her from her thoughts at the counter. The knights walked in looking like they needed a drink after a long day of training. Evoric immediately got to pouring their drinks as they sat down at their usual table. Iris grabbed the tray and made her way to their table, setting the tray down she plopped herself on the end next to Lancelot facing Percival. She nudged Lancelot in the side smirking.

"So lover boy Lancelot, how was your date?" He groaned while the others all laughed.

"Come on, not you too Lys. I've dealt with this since I got back…wait! Does this have anything to do with the scene you two made earlier?" He questioned accusingly. Iris tried putting on an innocent face and shrugged.

"Mayhaps."

"You are just as bad as them." He jabbed his finger at the knights. Iris put her hand over her heart in feint hurt.

"My dear Lancelot, my poor poor heart is aching at the thought of such a sweet guy lumping me in with these buffoons. With the exception of Leon, of course." Leon laughed as the others got offended.

"You would have to have a heart for it to hurt there Iris." Lys narrowed her eyes at the culprit, aka Gwaine.

"Are you sure that you're not just frustrated that she will not give you the time of day?" Elyan and Lys had never said much to each other before but now she liked the guy. Percival lost it at Elyan's statement and was out of air from laughing so hard.

"Previous statement retracted. Don't lump me in with Gwaine, the others are okay." Gwaine had a disgruntled look on his face. Leon just patted his back in what was meant to be a comforting way but pissed him off more.

"Don't you have a job to get back to?" He gestured to the rest of the tavern which had some costumers milling around but no one that needed tending to. Iris looked down at her wrist as if she was looking at a watch, forgetting they wouldn't understand the gesture, then looked around the room uninterested.

"Nope, doesn't look like I'm needed right now." He pouted.

"Fine, you can get us a refill then."

"Your mug isn't even empty?" He slammed it back and put it on the table with a smirk. She rolled her eyes at his childish behavior.

"Yeah, yeah whatever, anyways Lancelot, you should go see Mickey. She could probably use some cheering up. If you know what I mean." She raised her eyebrow and winked. The guys hooted as he left, telling them off jokingly.

"Careful what you tell them Lys. I have an arsenal of embarrassing stories I could tell them." She couldn't help but laugh at that.

"I embarrass myself all the time, but okay Lancey." Lys grabbed the empty mugs and went to get them refilled. After she dropped them off she did a quick round to the other customers to see if they needed a refill or anything. When she was done with her round she plopped back down with the knights and chatted with them until they left. Gwaine was the last one through the door, he turned back to look at Lys one last time, she gave him a playful wink with a wave as she went back to wiping the counter off, the door closed with a thud. Gwaine had a small smile on his face, he shook his head, and caught up with Elyan, Percival, and Leon. Maybe Elyan was wrong after all.

She finished her nightly tasks, locking up behind her, and headed home. The door creaked quietly as she slowly pushed it open, latching it silently behind her. Glancing over she saw Lancelot and Mickey sleeping together in the bed. Mickey was curled into Lancelot's side while he had his arm wrapped around her comfortingly and protectively. Lys jokingly gagged to herself, a soft smile played on her lips, she truly was happy that Mickey had found someone so genuine. After she changed into her sleep clothes and crawled into her hammock she wistfully thought that she would never be that lucky. She sighed to herself before succumbing to a dreamless slumber.


End file.
